Jett Lawrence: From Shared Sandwiches to Motocross Stardom
Ten years ago, Jett Lawrence was sharing a single sandwich with his dad and brother for lunch, trying to keep costs down as they chased their motocross dreams in Europe. Now, those humble days – including relying on a mammoth loan from his grandparents’ retirement fund – are a long way in the rearview mirror for the Australian motocross superstar.
Lawrence features in third place on our list of the top-earning 23-and-under Australian athletes, the final instalment in our five-part series. He also scored a top-10 spot in the overall top 50 list – showing just how much his circumstances have changed.
A Journey of Sacrifice and Success
The Queenslander counts Daniel Ricciardo, Jason Day and Jack Miller as friends, scored an invitation to last year’s Met Gala and is lauded for having a Michael Jordan-type impact on his sport. He was once even described as “the Justin Bieber of motocross”.
He pocketed about $15 million last year off his racing exploits and an ever-growing commercial portfolio. But Lawrence’s story is not one of overnight success, or anything coming easily.
None of this likely would have been possible without older brother Hunter’s early accomplishments, or parents Darren and Emma’s decision to sell their family home and collection of muscle cars to fund their children’s ambitions.
Lawrence was 12 when he packed his bags to move to the Netherlands with his dad and Hunter, after they scored a deal with Kawasaki. That meant temporarily leaving behind his mum and other brother, Tate, who remained to finalise the selling of their home. It was the ultimate bet on the Lawrence boys making it big in the cutthroat world of motocross.
That came with a significant level of pressure that Hunter wore competitively, and their parents dealt with financially. They mostly shielded those challenges from Lawrence, who became aware of them only much later.
The boys raced across Europe, while the family saved money wherever possible, down to eating the most economical meals. Oatmeal with apples and bananas. Tuna. Two-minute noodles.
“That helped us stay there [in Europe] a little bit longer and get recognised in America,” Lawrence said. “Once we got to America … my brother and I got onto higher-paying contracts.”
A Viral Breakthrough
Lawrence’s viral breakthrough moment came at age 16 while standing on a race podium in Las Vegas, when he declared the motivation behind his ride was the reward of the doughnut he was biting into.
He quickly earned a cult following as fans started showing up to races with bags of doughnuts.
Lawrence and his family no longer have any financial concerns. He is generationally wealthy, but remains the same knockabout kid who calls everyone “dude” and transcends his sport.
And he and his brother have repaid their grandparents for the $140,000 lifeline they gave the family 10 years ago.
“All the money that we make now with our merchandise goes straight to our grandparents,” Lawrence said. “They were able to build their retirement house off it … they believed in us and took that risk of giving us their money – out of their retirement fund – and thankfully, we were able to pay them back.”
His parents and Tate live with Lawrence on a Florida property that doubles as a motocross training compound, while Hunter and his wife, Cynthia, are only a short drive away.
Lawrence is recovering from a training accident in December that left him with a broken right ankle. But his rivals can expect him back soon.
“I’m still that same kid, in a way, when I went to go do my first race [as a four-year-old], and came in crying because I came second and wanted to win,” Lawrence said. “I still get pissed when I don’t win – it’s all I strive for. I hate losing more than I love winning. That’s what gets me going.”
He hasn’t lost his attachment to Australia, either. He craves a quality meat pie, finger buns and Nutri-Grain.
“It’d be cool to get on a Nutri-Grain box. That’s always been a dream of mine,” he said. “And if anyone’s got a meat pie bakery, and is thinking of opening in America, please let me know. I’ll be happy to chip in.”
The List of Top-Earning Australian Athletes
Cooper Connolly rocketed onto this list based on his INR3 crore (almost $470,000) collect at the most recent IPL auction. The emerging all-rounder does not have a Cricket Australia contract, but represented his country in all three forms – including being the travelling reserve for last year’s Champion’s Trophy – which boosted his coffers in match payments.
Olivia Gadecki, who also made our list of the top-earning AFL players, is believed to be among the 22 AFL footballers who earned at least a $1.2 million salary last season, the first of his new four-year deal signed in April 2024.
Jordan Bos completed a permanent transfer from Belgian team KVC Westerlo to Dutch giants Feyenoord on a four-year deal last July. The talented left-back is putting together a strong first campaign in the Eredivisie and is on track to develop into one of the Socceroos’ most important players, including having a key role at this year’s World Cup.
Nestory Irankunda has come a long way since the day he put away a free kick for Adelaide United as a 15-year-old. He first caught Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich’s attention before moving to English Championship team Watford in mid-2025 on a long-term deal worth about $6.7 million.
International soccer salaries are mostly not made public, but it is generally accepted that Alessandro Circati is Australia’s top-earning men’s player. The Socceroos defender signed a contract extension in February last year until the end of the 2028-29 season with Serie A club Parma, which he helped earn promotion to the top level in Italy.
Australia’s most-hyped athlete inked a six-year deal with adidas in 2024 worth at least $1 million annually after choosing the international brand over Nike and Puma. Gout Gout’s management also thrashed out a partnership with Vegemite last year, and there are more deals in the pipeline that will make him one of the country’s best-paid sportspeople.
The Michigan-born Australian, whose father grew up in Melbourne, enjoyed a breakout season on the WTA Tour in 2025. Maya Joint won her first two WTA titles, slashed her ranking from No.118 to 32, and pocketed more than $US1 million prizemoney ($1.5 million).
Nick Daicos is widely viewed as the AFL’s best player – and also topped our list of the league’s top earners. The Collingwood superstar is a triple All-Australian, was runner-up in the past two Brownlow Medal counts and the AFL Coaches’ Association’s champion player in 2024, and played in the 2023 premiership.
Molly Picklum joined Australian surfing royalty when she won her maiden World Surf League title in September. It was a lucrative year for the Gosford star, who collected more than $1 million prizemoney, including for being world champion and her two tour wins.
Elvis Smylie, whose mother, Liz, is a former tennis star, barely sneaks onto this young rich list, given he turns 24 this month. He didn’t make our overall top 50 off last year, but will next year after joining Australia’s Ripper GC team in LIV Golf and enjoying instant success in Riyadh in February.
There is no one more hyped in Australian rugby than Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who signed a three-year contract worth more than $5 million as a then-teenager to switch from league to union. The ex-Sydney Rooster in the NRL, now a Waratahs and Wallabies star, earned a reported $1.6 million salary in 2025, which rises to $1.8 million this year, then $1.95 million in 2027.
A Duke graduate, Tyrese Proctor scored a four-year, $US8.7 million (about $12.4 million) contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers as a second-round pick in last year’s draft. Proctor is earning $US1.3 million ($1.8 million) this season, and that figure rises significantly from season two, with the first two years of his deal fully guaranteed.
No Australian in US college hoops is earning more than Florida big man Alex Condon, who also made our top 50 list overall. The name, image and likeness (NIL) era has transformed college sports and contributed to athletes such as Condon delaying trying to get drafted.
Johnny Furphy, also on the overall top 50 list, signed a four-year, $US8.6 million ($12.3 million) contract with Indiana after San Antonio drafted him in the second round in 2024, including him earning $US1.96 million ($2.8 million) in the 2025-26 season.
Mary Fowler has arguably overtaken Sam Kerr as the country’s most marketable footballer. The Matildas sensation, who made the Women’s Super League team of the year for the 2024-25 season, even out-earns her NRL champion partner Nathan Cleary.
Travis Bazzana became the first Australian to be the No.1 pick in the Major League Baseball draft in 2024, and accepted a $US8.95 million (about $12.6 million) signing bonus. How one of the league’s top prospects received his bonus is not public knowledge, but it is commonly paid in equal instalments across a player’s first two seasons.
Dyson Daniels became the second-youngest player to make the NBA’s all-defensive team in the 2024-25 season, which contributed to earning him a four-year, $US100 million contract ($140.5 million). The Boomers and Atlanta Hawks guard, known as the “Great Barrier Thief”, led the league in steals that season, and is in the top 10 currently.
Josh Giddey’s move from Oklahoma City Thunder to the Chicago Bulls unlocked his upside – and helped deliver a four-year, $US100 million ($140.5 million) contract that is the bedrock of his earnings.
